This game was amazing from the start and to the finish..
Story 7/10: The game lacks in this area. There isn't that much to the plot. The game does get deeper than you would expect and the ending is very rewarding in my opinion. The problem with the story is that it really doesn't explain much about the characters...but the more I think about that I start to think that it's better that way. I'm guessing Prince of Persia wasn't meant to be some complex story about a large group of people explaining about all their past and stuff. The characters were meant to be believable...even if the story itself isn't very believable (But most game storylines aren't believable).
Graphics/Sound 10/10: I can describe the graphics in one word. Phenomenal. The graphics are beautiful, the way tapestries move as you run across the them, and the way dust falls off of ledges is simply amazing. The scenery in the game is stunning. I remember at one point in the game I stopped just to gaze at the beautiful sunset hidden behind the clouds and fog. The sound in this game fits perfectly. The battle theme sets the mood for fighting perfectly. The background music fits nicely as well. The song that plays during the ending is like the rest of the music in the game. Beautiful.
Play Time/Replayability 7/10: The game is quite long and will take some time for you to beat...and I love it for that. When I first started playing the game I loved it, but when I saw how far I had already gotten after a half hour I was afraid that it would be too short. Somehow through the challenging puzzles and lengthy battles make the game's play time became surprisingly high. While the game time is great the Replayability is very low. Even though I played the game more than once there really isn't anything extra. Both of the unlockables for the PS2 version are accessed not by finishing the game but rather they're hidden in the game itself.
Rent or Buy?: Definitely buy this game, it'll take you long enough to complete it and how could you think of not letting the developers get the money they deserve for such a great game? If you rent this game you'll only be returning to the store you rent it from to re-rent it. So do yourself and the developers a favor and buy this game.
Overall 9/10: Prince of Persia is one of those rare games that comes along and shows us what video games are supposed to be. No matter how many times I say it I can't get over how great this game is, when you finish this game you wont be forgetting it any time soon. Like I said at the beginning of this review, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is the most fun I've had playing a video game. Period. Now go and make it yours too.